Cascade squeeze rolls



April 1965 B. D. MARSELLO CASCADE SQUEEZE ROLLS Filed Jan. 20, 1964FIGS.

INVENTOR. BERNARD D. MARSELLO W Z ,4

I A T TOR/Vi;

FIGZ.

United States Patent 3,176,433 CASCADE SQUEEZE ROLLS Bernard D.Marseiio, Decatur, Ala, assignor to Monsanto Company, a corporation ofEelaware Filed Jan. 2%, 1964, Ser. No. 33%,891 5 Claims. (Ci. 68-43)This invention relates to the washing of synthetic fibers and moreparticularly to the squeezing and stripping of a tow comprised ofsynthetic fibers as it passes along and up a washer cascade.

In the wet spinning process of making synthetic fibers, a dope whichconsists of a polymer or co-polymer and a solvent is extruded throughspinnerettes into a coagulation bath thereby forming filaments, theaggregation of which comprise the tow. The tow is then drawn up acascade by any suitable means where hot water which travels down thecascade washes the filaments relatively free of solvent. A currentproblem in the washing of filamentary tows is that the solvent in thefiber is not reduced to an acceptable level. T ows having a non-uniform,high residual solvent exhibit poor textile processing characteristics.The industry has experienced difficulty in removing the solvent for thetow as it travels up the cascade carries therewith an amount of washwater which forms a boundary layer around each filament. This boundarylayer impedes the rinsing process for the wash water cannot eifectivelycirculate around the fibers due to the aflinity of the fibers for thewater. The boundary layer of wash water can be removed with varyingdegrees of success by a stripping process, the stripping can be doneeither by sharply bending the tow or by nipping the tow. Since the towis generally drawn up the cascade along a straight path, it isimpractical to bend it, thereforesome method of nipping is generallyemployed. The prior art teaches stripper bars and the like which helpremove the boundary layer of wash water but such devices create anamount of friction between the bars and the tow which tends to degradethe quality of the fiber. Another disadvantage is that where tows oflarge denier are being washed, the fibers located in the middle of thetow are not stripped for the stripper bar does not contact-the innerfibers. The boundary layer of water surrounding the inner fibers may beremoved if the weight of the stripper bars is increased but in doing sothe friction between the outer fibers and thebar becomes too greatthereby breaking some of those fibers and damaging the rest. In view ofthe above where tows of large denier are being washed, the solvent isnot uniformly removed from the tow. This non-uniformity creates handlingproblems for the fibers having a high residual solvent are not of thesame quality as the remainder and cannot be packaged and sold in thesame batch. Therefore, a primary object of this invention is to providea cascade with a stripper which will effectively remove the boundarylayer of wash water from all of the filaments which comprise the tow andwhich will permit fresh wash water to rinse the tow and remove theundesirable solvent.

Another object of this'invention is to provide a cascade with astripper-which is stationarily mounted on the eascade and is in rollingengagement with the tow.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cascade with astripper which forms a weir.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cascade with astripper which can exert different quantities of pressure against the'tow as the tow varies in denier.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cascade with astripper which removes the boundary layer of water from the tow and alsoguides and aligns the tow.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent whenthe following detailed description is read in conjunction with theappended drawings, speci- Patented Apr. 6, 1965 fications and claims.Preferred embodiments of this invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. A

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial, sectional view showing the stripper in rollingengagement with the moving tow.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational, sectional view of the apparatus showing thevarious elements of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a pictorial view of the base plate showing the aligningfins-thereon.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates using a rotatablymounted cylinder to force the tow against a near frictionless platewhich is mounted in the bottom of the cascade. The cylinder and thefrictionless plate act to wring the tow free of wash water therebyremovin the boundary layer of wash water. The tow after breaking contactwith the cylinder is again washed by relatively fresh wash water as itis drawn up the cascade.

The sides of the cascade are grooved and are adapted to receive a set ofbearings, the bearing preferably being made of nylon. The bearings serveto receive a hollow shaft and to position a cylinder in the middle ofthe cascade. The shaft is secured to the cylinder and turns therewith.In order to increase or decrease the weight of the cylinder, water orsome other suitable liquid is introduced therein by a plurality of portswhich connect the interior of the cylinder with the hollow portion ofthe shaft. If a tow having a large denier is being stripped, the weightof the cylinder can easily be adjusted to compensate for it by injectinga fluid therein.

The cascade is provided with a base plate having ja super hardenedsurface which resists wear and abrasion. The surface which receives thetow in a sliding engagement is polished to a mirror finish therebyreducing friction. On the front and rear portions of the plate, this areerected to guide and align the tow for the tow h'as a tendency to spreadwhen being squeezed by the cylinder. The

a surface of the plate is raised a fraction of an inch from the surfaceof the cascade so as to prevent the tow from rubbing against the bottomof the cascade and the edges thereof which meet the'cascade are roundedthereby feeling to the hand as if the cascade has a smooth hump thereon.

'The' invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which the figures are illustrative of the preferredembodiment of the invention.

A cascade it which is trough-shaped in design for car rying a washingfluid, such as water 11', has cut-out portions 12 for receiving bearings13. 'The cut-out portions 12 engage the be'ar'ings 13 so as topreventanymovement therein and to provide for the easy removal thereof. Thebearings 13 have an arm portion ldwhic'h extend down the sides'ofcascade it? and'align cylinder 15. Each bearing has a slot 16which're'ceives'on endof a rotating.

hollow shaft 17 and allows it to" move in a plane perpendicular to theplane in which the cascade resides.

Hollow shaft 17 which is journalled in slot 16 rigidly receives acylinderlS, the cylinder 15 and the shaft 17 turn in unison. Shaft 17having a passageway 19 therein is provided with apertures 18 inthesurface thereof for introducing a weighting fluid 36 into cylinder 15.By add ing or withdrawing fluid 3d, the weight of the cylinder 15 can bevaried to'meet the current needs.

Cylinder 15 comprises an arcuated surface 20 and walls 21 and 22. Walls21 and 22 are rigidly secured.

to the arcuated surface Zil by any suitable means and have located inthe center thereof openings 23 and 24,

respectively, which receive the shaft 17. The exterior of arcuatedsurface 20 has coated thereon a thin film of chrome 25 which reducesfriction between the cylin more thoroughly rinsing the tow 30, thelength of the arcuated surface 20 is selected to be slightly less thanthe width of the cascade .10 thereby raising the dammed water to adesired level and permitting the surplus to freely flow around thecylinder.

On the floor 32 of cascade 10, a base plate 33 is located which is in aworking association with the cylinder 15. Placed on the corners of baseplate 33 are fins 34 which act to guide and align the tow 30. The fins34 are located only at the ends of the base plate 33 so as not tointerfere with the rotating of the cylinder 15 for had the fins 34extended from front to back, the cylinder would not engage the tow 30.The function of the base plate 33 is to provide a near frictionlesssurface for the traversing tow 30 and to keep the tow' 30 from wearingthe floor 32 of the cascade 15. The base plate may be made from anysuper-hardened material which will resist wear and which can be polishedto a mirror finish, such as, titanium dioxide, brass coated withpilliiromium dioxide, brass coated with porcelain or the In order tofacilitate the removal of the apparatus from the cascade, a handle 35 isrigidly mounted on bearings 13. The handle 35 which can be of anysuitable design serves also to spacially position the bearings 13 incascade 10.

In operation, the tow'30 as it is being pulled up the cascade passesbetween the base plate 33 and the cylinder 15. The cylinder may beweighted by a fluid 36. As the tow 30passes between the cylinder 15 andthe base plate 33, the peripheral speed of the cylinder 15 is nearlyequal to the speed of the tow 30 thereby .reducing the frictiontherebetween to a minimum. The cylinder 15 rides on the tow 30 since itsshaft is allowed a vertical play presses the tow 30 against the baseplate 33. This action squeezes or wrings the wash water from the tow 30thereby effectively removing the boundary layer of wash water from thefibers and providing for a more thorough rinse.

Many different embodiments of this invention may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit thereof. Therefore, it is to be madeunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the specificembodiment shown and described herein, except as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for continuously stripping and squeeezing a filamentarytow comprising:

(a) a cascade containing a fluid,

(b) a base plate being mounted in said cascade, said base plate having apolished surface for receiving said tow, said polished surface beingspaced above the floor of said cascade thereby raising said tow to aposition away from said floor of said cascade, and

(c) a cylinder rotatably mounted on said cascade and peripherallyengaging said tow in a rolling relationship, said cylinder having acavity therein for receiving a weighty fluid, said cylinder pressingsaid tow against .said base plate thereby temporarily removing saidfluid therefrom.

2. An apparatus for continuously stripping and squeezing a filamentarytow comprising:

(a) a'cascade containing a fluid,

(b) a base plate being mounted in said cascade, said base plate having apolished surface for receiving sa d tow, said polished surface beingspaced above the floor of said cascade thereby raising said tow to aposition away from said fioor of said cascade,

(c) a set of bearings seated in said cascade,

(d) a shaft journalled in said bearings, and

(e) a cylinder secured to said shaft and peripherally engaging said towin a rolling relationship, said cylinder pressing said tow against saidbase plate thereby temporarily removing said fluid therefrom.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the base plate is provided. withfins at the corners thereof for guiding and aligning the tow.

4. An apparatus for continuously stripping and squeezing a filamentarytow comprising:

(a) a cascade containing a flowing fluid,

(b) a base plate being mounted in said cascade, said base plate having apolished surface for receiving said tow, said polished surface beingspaced above the floor of said cascade thereby raising said tow to aposition away from said floor of said cascade,

(c) a set of bearings seated in said cascade,

(d) a hollow shaft journalled in said bearings, said shaft havingapertures spaced along the length thereof, and

(e) a cylinder mounted on said shaft and peripherally engaging said towin a rolling relationship, said cylinder pressing said tow against saidbase plate thereby temporarily removing said fluid therefrom, saidcylinder having a cavity therein for receiving a weighting liquid,.saidweighting liquid being introduced into said cylinder through said hollowshaft.

5. An apparatus for continuously stripping and squeezing a filamentarytow comprising:

(a) a cascade containing a flowing fluid,

(b) a base plate being mounted in said cascade, said base plate having apolished surface for receiving said tow, said polished surface beingspaced above the floor of said cascade thereby raising said tow to aposition away from said floor of said cascade, said base plate beingprovided with fins at the corners thereof for guiding and aligning saidtow,

(c) a set of bearings seated in said cascade, each of said bearingsbeing provided with an elongated slot,

(d) a hollow shaft journalled in said elongated slots and being adaptedto move in a plane perpendicular to the floor of said cascade, saidhollow shaft having apertures spaced along the length thereof, and

(e) a cylinder mounted on said shaft and peripherally engaging said towin a rolling relationship, said cylinder pressing said tow against saidbase plate thereby temporaily removing said fluid therefrom, saidcylinder having a cavity therein for receiving a weighting fluid, saidweighting fluid being introduced into said cylinder through said hollowshaft.

References. Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WALTER A.SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

I. BUNEVICH, Examiner.

1. AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY STRIPPING AND SQUEEZING A FILAMENTARYTOW COMPRISING: (A) A CASCADE CONTAINING A FLUID, (B) A BASE PLATE BEINGMOUNTED IN SAID CASCADE, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING A POLISHED SURFACE FORRECEIVING SAID TOW, SAID POLISHED SURFACE BEING SPACED ABOVE THE FLOOROF SAID CASCADE THEREBY RAISING SAID TOW TO A POSITION AWAY FROM SAIDFLOOR OF SAID CASCADE, AND (C) A CYLINDER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAIDCASCADE AND PERIPHERALLY ENGAGING SAID TOW IN A ROLLING RELATIONSHIP,SAID CYLINDER HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN FOR RECEIVING A WEIGHTY FLUID,SAID CYLINDER PRESSING SAID TOW AGAINST SAID BASE PLATE THEREBYTEMPORARILY REMOVING SAID FLUID THEREFROM.